


in another time

by Euphonnia



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: For Victuri Big Bang!, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 09:53:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12528668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Euphonnia/pseuds/Euphonnia
Summary: Every day, it's rice paddies, muddy shoes, the scent of summer and the mundane life of nothing new. They say he gained weight again, joking about how it must be because he didn't do any sports. He smiles shyly in response, twiddling with the fabric of his bag's strap-on with a small nod, no other word uttered.The reeds by the paddies sway softly with the wind, the skies subdue orange slowly to dark as the sun set down.Katsuki Yuuri, eighteen years old, soon to be graduating highschool in a small rural town of Japan where nothing ever happens.Yuuri wishes there was something different in his life, he wishes something happens so he could stop being the boring old Yuuri who only had one friend and did nothing else but go to school and go home right afterwards.Yuuri wishes he never said yes.





	1. before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Companion art by Phyxalia! 
> 
> [ tumblr ] http://phyxalia.tumblr.com/post/166868383842/my-part-of-the-collab-with-euphonnia-for-the 
> 
> [ twitter ] https://twitter.com/phyxalia/status/924132201939140608
> 
> Written for the Victuri Big Bang (https://victuri-big-bang.tumblr.com/)
> 
> * * *

 

_“I’d rather go back in time,” a little laugh escapes his lips, the thought of him emaciating away alone doesn’t sit well in his stomach._

 

_There was silence, the tapping of a pen on the paper, and a stern expression in the man’s face. Eventually, he speaks up._

 

_“You can’t come back until you’re done,” he tells._

 

_“Then I will not. I can get it done easily and quickly, if that means I don’t have to waste away for two years.”_

 

_Then there was a laugh, a shake of a head, and a click of a pen._

 

_“The crazy things love can do to a man.”_

 

 


	2. im with you.

 

The summer heat wasn’t something that Yuuri was looking forward to enduring. School was enough of a routine that he couldn’t bear, and it made everything harder that the fabric stuck to his skin while he tried to listen to the mix of his teacher’s chalk against the blackboard and the soft chatter of several people in class.

 

 _It wouldn’t take much longer_ , He thought at the back of his head, _I just need to toughen this out and I’ll be out of this school. And maybe, just maybe, I could go back to Hasetsu and attend a college there._ It’s a line of thought that kept a lot of students going, and if he repeated the words to himself enough, he should be able to continue writing these equations without questioning what they are for in his future.

 

“Flip the page to…”

 

The sound of paper being turned, folding slightly in between his fingers.

 

A subtle breeze blows through the classroom, it’s silent, save for the sound of chalk drawing across the board and the pen that follows after it.

 

* * *

 

_“Yuuri, you really don’t mind living there?” Mari’s breath came out in a small huff of cigarette smoke; she’s gazing at the pile of leaves she’d left by the corner of the yard. The scent of the early spring breeze swept her nicotine dreams away._

_He shuffled a little in his worn-out shoes, smiling shyly at his sister’s proposition. Yuuri knew just what Mari had meant. And easily, she read through his body language, taking another breath out of her cigarette. The white paper dematerialized into charred pieces, slowly flittering down onto the concrete. A little sigh followed, glancing at her brother’s expression. “You don’t always have to say yes.”_

_“Yes,” Yuuri whispered. Mari groaned softly._

_“That’s what I’m talking about.”_

_Yuuri laughed softly, eyes falling to the ground, looking at his unlaced sneakers. He doesn’t, really. But he loves his family, and he loves his grandparents._

_“It’s just for four years,” he said, although it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself out of it rather than convincing Mari._

_“You can do many things in those four years,” Mari threw back, “You don’t do many things living in a small farming town.”_

_The leaves of the tree rustled with the wind, a few landed on the ground._

_“I’ll think about it.”_

_Mari drew another breath, dropping the cigarette on the floor and stepped over the cigarette butt._

* * *

 

“How about you try joining the dance troupe?” Phichit suggested as he jumped down the worn-out picnic table, eyes shining as he looks at his friend expectantly. Yuuri almost coughed up on his orange juice.

 

“I’m not cut out for it,” He laughed softly, quickly turning down the suggestion. His friend doesn’t take this quite well, frowning at him almost immediately.

 

His gloved hands landed on his shoulders, shaking him in an almost comedic manner. “Yuuri, don’t pretend I didn’t watch you in that voluntary ballroom presentation in class earlier! You have potential!” Yuuri’s face flushed in embarrassment, not used to accepting compliments.

 

Phichit dreamt big. Soon, he will be going back to Thailand, and he will pursue his career in dance. Yuuri, on the other hand, does not really know what he wants for his future. Dancing sounds good and he loved it. But his family didn't have enough money to send him to Thailand with his friend. Yuuri didn't have the confidence to dance infront of many people, either.

 

“I’ll think about it,” He murmured. His friend whined and slumped back down beside him, folding his arms in mock tantrum. Yuuri laughed once more.

 

He took a moment to contemplate what _should_ he do. Over dancing, he’s found a flair for arts and crafts. Living in a small town like this, you would have too much free time on your hands. His grandmother taught him how to sow simple things, and he at least had a few old shirts lying around that he used as makeshift material to make small hand-sown pouches for the little baubles he found on his walks back home with Phichit. It was much like a little treasure hunting activity, collecting unusual stones, coins and strange things he could find lying on the ground. Sometimes, he would integrate these items into his little humble creations. It was just like how he used the little black beads from a broken bracelet for eyes of his little stuff toy he’d created based on his own little toy poodle he brought with him from Hasetsu. He could try being a veterinarian, too, mostly because of his love for dogs.

 

They sat by the beat-up bench, watching until the sky dimmed into its orange hue. The way back was through a few twists and turns in the narrow roads. Yuuri waved Phichit goodbye the moment they reached the intersection, making his own way back home through the subtle summer breeze.

 

* * *

 

 

Every day, it's rice paddies, muddy shoes, the scent of summer and the mundane life of nothing new. They say he gained weight again, joking about how it must be because he didn't do any sports. He smiled shyly in response, twiddling with the fabric of his bag's strap-on with a small nod, no other word uttered.

                             

The reeds by the paddies swayed softly with the wind, the skies subdued orange slowly to dark as the sun set down.

 

Katsuki Yuuri, eighteen years old, soon to be graduating highschool in a small rural town of Japan where nothing ever happens.

 

“I’m home,” He called as he sat down by the short wooden deck and unlaced his ground-painted rubber shoes, placing them aside before entering his grandparent’s well-kept house. His grandmother nursed a cup in between her small, wrinkled hands before she gave Yuuri a gentle smile. He returns the expression, smiling at her before walking upstairs to settle in his room.

 

The first thing he did was to set his bag on the desk and flopped right onto his bed, a small sigh escaping his lips. He found himself staring at the grey ceiling for a few moments before turning to his side, checking his phone.

 

7:53 P.M.

 

It’s too early for him to sleep, and he didn’t even have dinner yet. But he wasn’t up for eating dried fish and root, and his classmates did say he was gaining weight, so he decided to cut dinner for tonight.

 

At days like these, he wondered how his life would have turned out if he told his parents he wanted to stay in Hasetsu. He wondered how far would he have gone if he pursued ice skating. He wondered about Yuuko and Takeshi, his childhood friends who were most of the time his only company in the ice rink. He wondered how was his ballet teacher, Minako, who probably still has a lot of interested students to teach, was faring in such a small town that couldn't possibly hold her ambitious pirouettes that traveled and reached countries far and wide .

 

It’s a strange thing, that he still got homesick even after living in this small town for roughly 4 years.

 

Yuuri wished there was something different in his life, he wished something happens so he could stop being the boring old Yuuri who only had one friend and did nothing else but go to school and go home right afterwards.

 

Yuuri wished he never said yes.

 

* * *

 

 

When he woke, the first thing he found was a face staring right at him.

 

Naturally, Yuuri did what any normal person would do.

 

He screamed and fell right off of his bed, body hitting the floor as the person withdrew by a few steps backwards. His heart pounded quickly in the rush of adrenaline, and the first thing he does was to grab something to makeshift as his weapon. Unfortunately, the only thing near him was his pillow, but he pointed it at the stranger with wild and panicking eyes.

 

At that moment, he just wanted to cry out of sheer fear. In the back of his mind, he regretted always wishing he were dead because he didn’t want to die getting killed by a serial murderer who probably snuck into his house. Maybe reading all those western creepypasta articles and conspiracy theories wasn’t the best for his heart and his mind. He came to the conclusion that he probably starred in one of them and he’s going to die the worst kind of death at that very moment.

 

“Who are you?!” He shouted in Japanese, voice cracking in the middle. The man didn't seem to understand his outrage, but he backed away from Yuuri’s personal space.

 

Upon first inspection, the man is _tall_ , the type of tall you don’t normally see in Japan. He’s pale, and wore tattered clothes. His face obviously told Yuuri that he is _not_ from Japan.

 

What the _hell_ was a foreigner doing in his room? And what was up with his clothes?!

 

There was something in the man’s expression. His lips turned into a frown, and he looked upset about something. His eyebrows knit together as he took another step back, then he paused, two fingers pressed on his lips as he seemed to be in deep thought.

 

_Well, this is awkward._

 

Yuuri doesn’t know what else to do but stare at him, trying to level his breathing and recover from his panic.

 

He almost regained his calm until he literally jumped when the man decided to say something.

 

“Yuuri,” His voice was on the deeper side, clear-cut and his tone gentle. Yuuri wanted to cry even more because he doesn’t know how this man knew his name.

 

“Please calm down,” He continued with his ever-so gentle tone. Now, Yuuri doesn’t understand two things: How could a stranger just tell someone to calm down when they’re in his room without his knowledge and consent and how did he even know him?

 

Then it clicked, remembering his thoughts before he fell asleep.

 

He wanted to call out and tell the Gods that this certainly wasn’t what he meant about “something different.” But he supposed he’s a bit thankful that this man hadn’t showed up in his room _naked_ like in those movies with the type of scenario he’s facing that moment. Maybe this was just a dream, or he at least hoped it was.

 

* * *

 

 

It isn’t a dream. And Yuuri thought he might as well have gone mad.

 

It was hard to explain to his grandmother why he decided to eat breakfast in his room, and why he took twice the servings he usually ate. He used the I-didn’t-eat-dinner-so-I-need-more-food excuse which she seemed to have bought, which was good.

 

So Victor (the man claimed) sat on the floor of Yuuri’s room, large distance between them, as he eagerly ate the dried fish and miso soup from last night, Yuuri watching him engulf the meal.

 

There was awkward silence, and Yuuri tried to preoccupy himself with his hands.

 

The wood chimes by his window rang softly with the soft summer breeze that tickled them, the sun up at its peak.

 

He spoke after, spoon and fork set aside with the small wrapper of untouched chopsticks. “I’m here because I have a mission,” Victor explained, his smile tired and worn. Yuuri knew he had been through a lot.

 

It sounded out of this world, but he supposed he might as well believe it for a while.

 

“Mission, huh…” he fiddled with the fabric on the hem of his shirt, not knowing what to say.

 

English isn’t his strong suit, but he’s thankful that watching Western movies and reading a lot of English articles at least make him sound a bit coherent.

 

“I have to make you happy,” Victor smiled. Yuuri sputtered.

 

Now that was something he _hadn’t_ expected.

 

“Are you making this up?” Yuuri looked at him with blatant incredulity in his expression, not meaning to use such an insinuating tone. Strangely, Victor only laughed.

 

“It’s up to you to believe me or not,” He said with a little hum.

 

He had a point. Yuuri sighed, defeated.

 

“Okay, okay…” He mumbled, taking the tray and arranging everything in order. The morning was a wreck, it was just a good thing that it was on a weekend. When he stands, Victor stood as well.

 

“Introduce me to your parents,” Victor suggested, picking up a little sack he carried with him.

 

Yuuri snorted a little. “Grandparents,” He corrected. _And how would he even do that?_ “What do I say? Good morning grandma, grandpa, this is Victor, he appeared in my room some time at night. Apparently he has the mission to make me happy. He will be living with us from now on and he can’t speak Japanese.”

 

Victor laughed softly at the proposition, then he shrugged a little. “Well, maybe you could leave out the part where I showed up at the middle of the night in your room.”

 

“Sure,” Yuuri murmured as he walked out of his room, Victor following after him.

 

* * *

 

 

Everything went better than he had expected. Strangely enough, his grandparents were as lax as his parents were. Victor was cheerful as he introduced himself to both of them (“My, how handsome!” His grandmother beamed), and his grandfather left the room to prepare the storage room for him to stay in. Vicchan seemed to like Victor a whole lot, too. The puppy took a liking to him and Victor seemed to be good with dogs, easily picking him up and giving little scratches behind his ear.

 

Yuuri didn't really know what to think about this situation. He wanted to sink down onto his bed and wake up from this surreal dream. Victor seemed to be having his own fun with his dog until it left him to huddle back onto Yuuri’s lap, curling up and seemingly readying himself to sleep. He smoothed down the poodle’s soft curls as he gazed up at Victor, who had his arms resting on the kotatsu.

 

“So,” He started, grin ever so wide on his lips, “Tell me about yourself, Yuuri.”

 

He doesn’t know if it’s really a good idea to open up about his life to a complete stranger who had shown up in his house out of nowhere. So, he settled for the standard. “I’m just a student, about to graduate highschool soon. I like to dance, but not professionally. I like to make art, too.” Yuuri glanced over to the vase on the corner of the room. Victor doesn’t look too impressed with his answer, as if expecting more.

 

“Show me around town,” He beamed at Yuuri. Yuuri, in response, sputtered once more.

 

This town wasn’t really known for drawing tourists, all the more for foreign visitors. It was just a little farming town, after all. He didn't really quite knew where he would take Victor. Although, the sprightly demeanour Victor carried with him made it hard for him to say no. And in relation to that, Yuuri was known for the incapacity to say no.

 

“Okay,” He said almost in a whisper, “I’ll think about it.

 

* * *

 

 

“This is where my friend and I spend time after school.”

 

The sun was up at its peak, and the summer heat made Yuuri sweat through his shirt. Victor seemed be in a similar disposition, not really pleased with the heat. He still kept his lively air with him, so he supposed he didn't really mind the blazing temperature. A soft breeze from the fan Victor had borrowed from his grandmother was all that kept them cool, and they had bought ice cream from a little store on the way there. They settled down on the old wooden picnic table, Victor reclining against the wood. The plastic cover of the ice cream crinkled softly, Yuuri hands over one to Victor before he indulged in his own.

 

“Is there anyone else named Victor Nikiforov that you know of?”

 

Yuuri turned to Victor when he brought out such a strange question. He seemed to be staring off at the distance, absentmindedly eating his ice cream.

 

“None. At least, none that I know of,” Yuuri answered, looking back forward.

 

There was a silent moment. A wind blew past, sweat cooling on their skin. The leaves of the nearby shrubbery rustled along with it.

 

“Have you ever tried ice skating, Yuuri?” he turned to him with a smile. Yuuri straightened his posture, the top piece of his ice cream coming off when he bit onto it. The melon flavour melted on his tongue, he formed his words along with it.

 

“I used to,” Yuuri admitted, “Until I moved to live with my grandparents.”

 

* * *

 

 

_This was the last time he’s going to skate, Yuuri thought as he drifted into lazy circles across the rink on a late Sunday night. The sun was already gone, and he had the place all to himself. On ice, he disconnected completely, much better than being left alone with his thoughts while he lazed around at home, or while he cleaned the onsen._

_The sound of the blades skidding against the ice was a pleasant hum to his ears, it helped him relax and think a little clearer. Everything just felt so much better._

_“Yuuri,” A feminine voice called from the barriers, breaking Yuuri from his stupor. He easily recognized it to be Yuuko. He paused, looking at her with a little smile._

_“Sorry, I got carried away.” It was already an hour past closing time, though he always did have the luxury of enjoying the rink all by himself since everyone did support his career and passion for skating. His childhood friend wore a smile at him, waving her hand in signal that it wasn’t what she had meant._

_“You can skate all you want, you know you have the permission to.” She reassured, slipping on a pair of skates before joining him on ice. “When are you leaving Hasetsu?” She asks as drifted around the ice. Yuuri followed after her relaxed pace._

_He took a moment to try and remember, “On Wednesday.”_

_Yuuko seemed to let out a little breath, she kept leading him around in circles. “Oh, I thought you would be able to stay until the next GPF. We’re even getting a new television by then.” Yuuri smiled at the memory of watching skaters compete on ice, it always helped him aspire to be one of the competitors one day. There was also the memory watching Western movies with dogs that came along with the memory, that being the reason why he had bugged his parents to get him a dog._

_“What are you going to do about ice skating now? Your dreams?”_

_“I can’t really skate on rice fields,” Yuuri joked, Yuuko giggled softly, slowly pausing._

_“Guess not.”_

_There was silence again. Yuuko broke it._

_“Do you really not want to stay? Your parents said it was okay if you didn’t want to go, you know.”_

_Sometimes Yuuri wondered if he was really that easy to read. Takeshi had confronted him about this earlier, as well._

_“I want to stay,” Yuuri answered earnestly, “I can come back to this when I come back.”_

_“You’ll be there for four years,” Yuuko reminded him. Yuuri knew._

_“I love ice skating,” he says quietly, skating ahead of her._

 

* * *

 

 

“Really? Then why did you say you wouldn’t mind moving here?” Victor urged for an answer. Popsicle sticks and two ice cream wrappers were on the old table, a drifting cloud blocked the sun from them. Yuuri shrugged. It wasn't really not something he regretted, it was just something he didn’t really expect would have affected his life so greatly.

 

Victor seemed to take a moments to stare at him for more words to be said, and when there was none, he stood and did a little stretch, grinning at him. “Well, let’s work on that now,” he gestured, urging Yuuri to stand with him. He raised an eyebrow in return to the gesture, but he got up anyway. “Let’s go for a run.”

 

“In this blazing heat?” Yuuri clarified, his voice rising a little. Victor laughed.

 

“In this blazing heat.” He said with no hesitation, then began to dash off in a random direction. Yuuri followed after, shoes dust and dirt coloured, sprinting through the summer heat.

 

* * *

 

 

The day ended with a pouch full of dirty beads, an old coin, and laughter as they collapsed on a grassy clearing, backs on the ground, and skin sticky with sweat. Getting his clothes messy wasn’t something Yuuri usually did, but then at this point he didn’t really care. He was breathless, his muscles were screaming at him, and Victor was _still_ laughing as he laid beside him, gazing up at the now-violet sky. If they don’t get home soon, it will be evening, and they will have to find their way back through the dimly-lit lamp posts and the colder breeze of the night air. Normally, Yuuri would be at home, watching a television program. Normally, Yuuri would be in bed an hour after this, reflecting on life until he passes out.

 

But today isn’t normal. Today was _fun_.

 

When Victor finally tired of laughing, it’s quiet between them, the air making its way back into their lungs. They breathed silently as the sky slowly turned a bit darker. For once, Yuuri didn’t mind being away from home.

 

“How did you get into my room?” Yuuri brought up, turning to Victor, who seemed to have his eyes fixated on the sky. There was something that flickered behind them, and Yuuri turned back to see whatever interesting thing Victor had been gazing up on the heavens.

 

He found nothing, of course, just a few clouds that littered about and the shine of a few stars that began to appear. But it felt like Victor saw more.

 

“I actually don’t know,” He answered in an amused tone, if he hadn’t sounded so sincere, Yuuri wouldn’t have believed him.

 

“Huh.”

 

Slowly and subtly, life was brought to the skies. The stars were much more obvious in the rural night sky over the slightly busier town of Hasetsu. He wondered if Victor could see stars wherever he came from. He wondered about many things. He wondered about the onsen, of the old men who are regular to the business, always telling Hiroko that her child was talented, and that they would support him when he grows big in his name in the competition. He wondered about Mari, who breathed her life out slowly out of the cigarettes she’d grown a slight addiction to from her teenage years. He wondered about his parents, always working so hard from day to night, keeping their business alive. He wondered about Yuuko and Takeshi, smiles bright and the old television they used to see those beautiful figure skaters they aspired and mimicked to become.

 

He wondered where all those dreams went. He wondered if Victor was also a figment of his dream, coming out as a wish that had become true.

 

There was barely a time where appreciated the night sky and the twinkling stars from the childhood poems his mother would hum to him in the quiet of the night. The reality of the vastness of the universe that could swallow him up whole if it wanted to. In another time, in another place, would things have been different?

 

“You know, Yuuri." Victor said quietly, his words almost lost in the silence, "I barely got the time to actually appreciate everything around me.” Yuuri understood. He felt just the same.

 

Victor spoke about many things after that. He spoke about strange things, like how he’d seen mutated men with all identical faces in a dream. They roamed the earth, and they are the elite of a world where everything was dust, nuclear waste, and living in caves when you couldn’t afford it. The world was so crumbled in thick ash, that there was never a time the sky was blue, or orange, or any other colour except grey. You either had the power for trade, the skill to steal, or just pure luck to keep you alive. Yuuri couldn’t imagine living in a world like it, let alone having a dream as distressing like that. Victor spoke about it like it was a vivid memory, something real, something that wasn’t a dream.

 

Then, he spoke about meeting someone. He had a face with skin that had evidently gone through some sort of burn, stretching from the right side of his neck up until small slivers along his jaw and cheek, so close to his eye. But Victor calls him beautiful, inside and out.

 

He turned to Yuuri slowly, and wore such a peculiar smile, a strange mixture of what looked like relief and… sadness. Yuuri’s stomach tightened a little, feeling an unusual sensation along with it. He looked away.

 

“Living in a world like that would have been really depressing, huh?” Victor continued, shifting back to look at the sky. The air was cool now, and their sweat had dried up on their skin. It was still sticky and unpleasant, but Yuuri felt strangely comfortable with where they were. He could only manage to answer the question with an affirming mumble, not saying anything else.

 

After that, Victor talked about other things. Lighter things. He talked about dogs, and how much he loved them. “Energetic balls of fluff,” he said, and Yuuri could only agree. They talked like this; Yuuri talking about cute things Vicchan had done in the past, and Victor talks about a dog he had seen in the past who had no hind legs, but was still rather energetic and even ran around, rousing him to play with her insistently.

 

Time flew quickly, with their stories and the stars and the cool night breeze. Victor eventually stood, offering a hand to Yuuri, who took it and lead them back home.

 

“You know, Yuuri.” Victor hummed as they walked through the rice paddies. Yuuri kept his gaze forward, although eliciting a noise that told him to go on. “Nothing is worth it if you aren’t happy, remember that.”

 

Yuuri hadn’t expected that, but his chest felt a bit lighter. Victor gave him the words that he hadn’t known he needed.

 

* * *

 

 

Victor had been living with them for a week now. So far, the only things he’s told Yuuri to do was really normal things. He’d expected that he’d be ordered to go do something extreme like bungee jump by the cliff on the way to this town or get on a train and ride back to Hasetsu, to never look back. But instead, he received really ordinary requests.

 

“Buy some milk and vegetables at the market for your grandmother today.”

 

“Tell Phichit you should go for a jog together on Saturday.”

 

“Good morning, Yuuri! We’re going for a run with Vicchan today, put him on a leash.”

 

He sipped the juice from the little carton he’d bought as he thought to himself as he walked back home. The heat hasn’t been unbearable since Victor had showed up, or maybe because his presence made everything unconsciously a bit more bearable. Even with such a strange way to have met him, he’s a bit thankful that he did show up. Maybe wishing that everything could have been different was a good decision, after all. He decided that he should at least give something in return as a sign of gratitude. Maybe something easy to create with the materials he had at home.

 

It’s a strange realization, that even the simplest deeds could make his life a bit better and make himself a bit happier.

 

Then there was sometime when it rained, something that didn’t usually happen in the season. But it was a good change, maybe it would help cool the summer heat a little.

 

“Where is Victor?” Yuuri asks as he leaned the umbrella against the doorframe. He’d just gotten home from school, and he noticed that Victor hadn’t greeted him outside like he usually did. It was strange, because often times he would meet him outside whenever it was the usual time he would get home. He first assumed that he was only inside just because it was raining. Napping on such a cold day was a comforting idea, after all.

 

“He went out,” His grandfather called from one of the rooms.

 

_Well then._

 

He supposed Victor wanted to go out and enjoy the rain. He did have the freedom to, after all. Even when he waved it off, he didn’t really seem to mind the heat, either. Though Yuuri knew he didn’t really handle it too well, seeing the way his pale skin flushed especially on the hotter days.

 

So he didn't pay heed to it, only heading back upstairs to take a little nap as the rain kept drowning out the dusty roads, turning them into mud.

 

It was until he realized something was wrong when dinner time rolled in, and Victor _still_ wasn’t home. He must have gotten lost, or at least hoped there wasn't anything bad that happened to him. He picked up his drying umbrella and told his grandparents that he’d go look for him; worried since it was already getting late, and there was no way he would get his way back through the unfamiliar place.

 

He found him at the very same grass field they both had been on when they were laughing and talking about Victor’s dreams and Yuuri’s life. But today he was not laughing; he sat alone in the now-muddy field, looking up at the sky, as if still waiting for the stars to appear and guide him home.

 

“What are you doing?” Yuuri asked as he tipped the umbrella to cover Victor. It seemed to have shaken him out of his dazed stupor, making those blue eyes peer up at him with the hint of surprise. Victor offered a smile as a reply, although there was something wrong about it.

 

“I thought the rain might let up. I wanted to go stargazing today.”

 

“Without an umbrella? It rained all day.”

 

Victor only laughed. Yuuri frowned, unamused, unconvinced, but still offered his hand.

 

“Let’s go home.”

 

On the way back, Victor held the umbrella for them, still dripping wet from the rain. Had he been drenching himself for the entire time he’d been gone? Yuuri spared a glance at him, and he was looking forward, smiling like he _wasn’t_ acting strange for staying under the rain for long.

 

“Nothing is worth it,” Yuuri murmured quietly. Victor shifted to look at him.

 

“Nothing is worth it, if you aren’t happy.” Yuuri continued, then turning to him with a smile.

 

Victor stared dumbfoundedly for a few moments, before letting his lips melt into a smile, then into a laugh.

 

“I guess not.”

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m home,” Yuuri called.

 

Instead of a reply, it was silent. Usually, Victor would ring out a “Welcome back home,” and lean in to peep at him with a grin. But that sort of greeting didn’t happen, and Yuuri feels strange at the change of routine.

 

When he investigated the absence of Victor the moment he’d finished unlacing his shoes, his grandmother reemerged from the room Victor used. She wore a little smile at Yuuri, greeting him instead.

 

“Victor is sick,” She explained, “High fever, it must be because of the other day.” The image of him standing with such an empty expression flashed as a distant memory, making Yuuri purse his lips. 

 

“I’ll go buy him medicine,” Yuuri turned, knowing well that their medicine cabinet was empty. His grandmother smiled at him while he returned to lace his shoes back on. Right at the moment before he had gone out, his grandmother says a few words that Yuuri never really quite hear.

 

“You’ve been much more mature and happier these days, haven’t you, Yuuri?”

 

* * *

 

 

Victor looked at the pills Yuuri places on the little desk by the bed, eyes wide and filled with what seemed to be surprise. “What’s wrong?” Yuuri asked, sitting down by the bedside as he set down a glass of water. Victor shook his head, slowly reaching out for the pills. Yuuri handed it over to him.

 

It’s strange, really. He turned the pack, inspecting every side to it. He rubbed his thumb against the foil, and pressed every pill lightly. After, he shook his head, finally taking one out and drinking it. Yuuri watched him curiously, a bit piqued by the way he’d behaved when he’d received the medicine. “Oh, is it because you don’t take medicine through pills?” Yuuri asked, Victor shook his head again, smiling at him tiredly. He settled back down on the bed.

 

“No, I just remembered something.” He replied. It wasn’t really the answer Yuuri had hoped for, but if it were that simple enough, he supposed he’d take it.

 

They spent the day together, Victor laughing softly at the stories Yuuri told him about school. Despite being half affected by the feverish haze, Victor tried his best to listen and stay awake at the silly stories he had for him.

 

“I tried to audition for the dance troupe I told you about, the one Phichit told me to join.”

 

“I’ve been saving up money for skates just so I could find a new pair to buy when I go back to Hasetsu.”

 

“The milk I bought from the vending machine was spoiled.”

 

“I found a watch by the road on my way back. It was broken, but I don’t get how people could just leave it there!”

 

“Vicchan brought me a leaf today, isn’t that cute?”

 

And during the times Victor was asleep, Yuuri spent his time hand-sowing a little pouch, planning to put some Japanese candy Victor had taken a liking to as a gift. He sewed a little imprint of a poodle on it, along with Victor’s name. By the time he was done, Victor had awoken, telling Yuuri he was hungry.

 

“Where did you get the medicine?” Victor asked before he took a sip of the pork stew he had for dinner. Yuuri blinked at him, taking a chunk of meat and a little portion of rice.

 

“From the store, of course.” He answered. It was an obvious answer to an easy question. Yuuri didn't really quite grasp why Victor had to ask him about it.

 

“Oh.”

 

They filled the momentary silence with the sound of utensils and soft chewing.

 

“Can I have them?”

 

Yuuri looked up, finding Victor’s face glued to the tray. He took a bite and stayed silent, as if waiting for him to answer. It’s strange, really, how Victor has been acting for these past few days.

 

“Of course,” Yuuri answered without hesitating. After he parts with his answer, Victor looks up at him, shine in his eyes.

 

Whatever reason for, it made a light feeling envelop his chest. Maybe Yuuri didn’t need a reason after Victor brought the sunshine back through the blinds through a little smile. The man spoke a lot, but sometimes, he didn’t need words to speak what he wanted to say at all.

 

* * *

 

 

Everyday was chasing paper kites, running across dusty and mud paths with dirt-coloured shoes, and laughter that cut through the air. Yuuri danced, and Victor told him to keep going. He did many things. He carried grocery bags home and helped his grandfather make meals out of chunks of fish and vegetables. He ran every morning, Vicchan trying to keep up to him with his little feet, sometimes he carried him. He went out every weekend, trying new dance moves from videos in Phichit’s brand new phone. He sat on the grassy field and watched the stars fill the sky, telling stories about the universe and everything in between with Victor speaking of fantastical things, metal forts, dusty wastelands, dim lights in caves, and magic. All apparitions from his strange dreams.

 

Until the inevitable came.

 

“I’m leaving tomorrow, Yuuri.” He said with a smile. Yuuri blinked at him as if he had completely forgotten how to speak English. Victor had taught Yuuri how to be a little less selfish, but it was hard to change that Yuuri was a really a selfish, selfish person.

 

“You can’t,” He said as if he were the one who would decide for him. Victor could only laugh, and it cut through him like glass.

 

“I have to,” The now-chilly breeze told Yuuri it was almost the end of summer. Soon, he will be graduating. Soon, he will be back in Hasetsu. Tomorrow, Victor is leaving.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Yuuri clutched his arms closer to his body, huddling closer to himself as if it could make him smaller. Victor couldn’t look at him.

 

The somber silence explained everything in between, and it’s all there is underneath all those stars.

 

When they walk home, a breeze blows past as they walk down the inclining roads back to the rice fields.

 

“You’ll be fine,” Victor said as they crossed a few reeds on the paddies, “I know you will.”

 

And in the end, there was nothing left that Yuuri could manage to tell him.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri knocked at Victor’s room around midnight, opening it slowly and finding him fast asleep, the half-consumed packet of pills kept in his hand. He shook him slowly, not wanting him to be angry that he was awoken in such an ungodly hour of the night. Victor’s face scrunched up for a second before he opened his bright, blue eyes. His hair shone like the moon even in the dim of the space between them.

 

“Yuuri?” His voice was deeper than usual, still riddled with sleep. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

 

Then, a soft pouch was pushed to his chest. Victor blinked.

 

“Candy,” Yuuri murmured, Victor took the pouch, feeling over the soft cloth and the little sown patterns, “The one you like.”

 

Even when he couldn’t really have seen it, he knew Victor’s face lit up like a thousand stars on the night skies they look up to together. He pulled him into a tight hug, and Yuuri easily sank into him.

 

“Finally,” Victor whispered, soft like a breeze. Yuuri’s breath hitched, and tears paused by his throat. He choked, unable to understand why those silent words sounded so much like a promise.

 

“I’m coming home, back to you.”

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, he was gone.

 

Everything that served as proof that he’d existed is gone, except for a candy wrapper and a letter on his rolled-up futon.

 

* * *

 

 

_It’s a long journey, and he had been gone for far too longer that he should have stayed. The way back was an arduous one, with dusty roads and the threats at every nook and cranny, until he’s back._

_He’s back, and it’s too late._

_“No,” His voice shook with his body, and everything feels surreal, dizzy, everything blurred into a mess. He rushed and unpeeled every layer of shabby and worn-out blankets off of his body, and Yuuri’s still there, still so beautiful, still so breath taking, still his everything._

_“No,” Victor begged, and heavy tears roll off his eyelashes and drip onto his cold skin. He shook his body, he pressed his hand against his cheek, but those dark eyes don’t flutter open. He is still, like a mannequin. He is gone._

_He sobbed for three nights, until he knew he couldn't keep him any longer._

_Home is where his heart is, they say. And home is now six feet under, becoming one with the dust, returning back to the earth._

* * *

 

_It doesn’t take long for him to eventually grow sick as well. Finding all the tear-stained letters in old parchment he’d torn from old books didn’t really fare well for him and his mental state, especially after knowing he was too late to save him._

_It’s a high fever, just like what Yuuri had before Victor had gone with the promise of medicine. But he failed to come back, instead, sent to prison after a failure of a heist from one of the few drugstores that offered the medicine. He feels hot, yet cold at the same time, his body shakes to the core. He huddles in the same blankets Yuuri had slept in until the day of his passing._

_Just as he shifted on the old bed, then, he hears a little crinkle from his pocket._

_“Candy,” The memory of the young boy smiles, “The one you like.”_

_He slowly dug into his clothes, fetching out the little pouch he had taken with him back to his dimension. There’s a few pieces of red-wrapped candy and the pills he had brought home supposedly for Yuuri. He eats one, two, a few, until there is one left. And he noticed there was a piece of paper slipped into the wrapper. He takes it out, unfolding the little message in his hands._

 

_"_ _Nothing is worth it if you aren’t happy."_

_His breath hitches, and he tears up. Of course. Of course Yuuri from another world would return the words he had stolen from the Yuuri of his world._

_The foil makes a little pop, he dry-swallows a pill, huddling back into the layers of old, shabby blankets and previously shared dreams._

* * *

 

The air in Hasetsu is fresh, and the hot springs water cools his muscles after a long day of arduous training. He’d worked himself double ever since he’d come back to his home town. Morning runs weren’t enough to keep him athletically built for his next performance.

 

He’s no top skater in this world, but he’s a late bloomer. Katsuki Yuuri, entering his first competition at the age of 19. The boy with the steely eyes and a strong heart, he looks up at the star-lit sky from the grassy fields all the way back underneath the tree that grew by the fence.

 

Yuuri wondered about the man who came from another world, where there are many strange things. There is nothing but dirt, dust, nuclear waste, caves and grey skies. Where there are mutant men with identical faces called the elite. He thought of the man with the slightly-burnt face, slivers of his injured skin up the right side of his face. The man who looked just like Yuuri, and shared the same name as Yuuri. He thought about the man who was a well-known thief, deft hands, and a quick mind. He thought of the man who traveled through space and time just to get back "home" quicker.

 

All written in old parchment paper, wrapped in a little bundle with a red candy wrapper next to it.

 

Even in a world where Victor Nikiforov did not exist, they still met, and he still wound his way back to him.

 

_Through space and time, I promise, someday, I’ll find you._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I based the town Yuuri moved to in Miyakonojo? Although I hadn't done enough research for it so I based it off my own experience of small villages based on rice paddies and all. 
> 
> Victor's side of the story is much different, and if people are interested enough I can give an elaboration on what he is in his own world as well as the backstory for him! 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope it was worth the read ♥
> 
> EDIT: Corrected a few grammatical mistakes for smoother reading
> 
> Catch me on twitter @euphonnias and on tumblr @Euphonnia


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